Plasma is an ionized state of matter. Plasma can be artificially generated by heating or subjecting a neutral gas to a strong electromagnetic field. The ionized gaseous substance becomes electrically conductive. Positive charges in ions are achieved by stripping away electrons orbiting the atomic nuclei, where the total number of electrons removed is related to either increasing temperature or the local density of other ionized matter. When the ionized gas molecules recombine with a electrons, they produce an exothermic reaction.
Plasma gasification is being developed as a source of clean energy from garbage. A plasma waste converter exposes a fuel (waste) to a plasma and the molecules break down by molecular dissociation—the molecular bonds holding them together become excited and break apart, leaving constituent atoms.
The art provides a number of examples of the use of plasma to produce energy, but all these employ an exogenous fuel source. For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 9/713,244, to Toshiba-Mitsubishi-electric industrial systems corporation, discloses a power supply apparatus that uses a resonance means for creating a resonance state between the power supply apparatus and a plasma generator.
Another relevant disclosure is found in U.S. application Ser. No. 9/702,552 that discloses a method and system for producing energy from waste, particularly a method for the conversion of waste into energy in a sealed system where combustion does not take place and the operating pressure prior to the inlet of the steam or power generating equipment is maintained below atmospheric pressure. Destruction of the RDF (refuse derived fuel) is accomplished by subjecting the RDF to a high temperature environment under controlled conditions using plasma torches for generation of plasma gas.
Another prior art example of the use of a plasma to generate electrical energy is found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/828,194 that discloses an electric generator using imploding plasma dynamics (a vortex) for generating electric energy from fuel energy with a fuel-air mixture injection means an and electric energy take-off means connected with the vortex chamber for taking off electric energy generated by the imploding plasma vortex.
An additional prior art example of the use of a plasma to generate electrical energy is found in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/990,835 that discloses a power generation system using a plasma gasifier, includes a plasma gasifier that combusts pulverized coal or biomass using plasma so as to generate a synthesis gas including hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO), an impurity removing device that removes an impurity included in the generated synthesis gas, a gas storage tank in which the synthesis gas, an impurity of which has been removed by the impurity removing device, is stored, and a gas engine that combusts the synthesis gas stored in the gas storage tank so as to produce electricity.
A further relevant disclosure is found in U.S. application Ser. No. 8/283,512 that discloses a method and system for enhanced energy production from transforming, reducing and eliminating organic material and medical wastes.
The present invention does not employ an exogenous fuel source such as garbage, but uses an electron-donation element to produce an exothermic reaction.